How much protein you need per day, and for what
The answer changes a lot depending on whether you're maintaining, losing fat or building muscle. These are the ranges the literature uses.
The minimum isn't the optimum
The official recommendation of 0.8 g of protein per kilo of body weight per day is a floor to avoid deficiency in sedentary adults. It isn't the number that optimises body composition, satiety or muscle retention. Mistaking the minimum for the target is the most common error.
Ranges by goal
Maintenance with moderate activity: 1.2 to 1.6 g per kilo. Muscle gain with resistance training: 1.6 to 2.2 g per kilo. Calorie deficit where you want to lose fat without losing muscle: 1.8 to 2.4 g per kilo — the highest range, because protein protects lean mass when you eat less. Older adults: at least 1.2 g per kilo to counter age-related muscle loss.
Translated into food
A 70 kg person in a deficit needs roughly 140 g of protein a day. That looks like: two eggs and a protein shake at breakfast (40 g), a chicken wrap at lunch (35 g), an açaí bowl with protein in the afternoon (25 g) and a dinner with fish or lean meat (40 g). It's reachable without supplements, but it takes planning.
Distribution matters
Protein synthesis responds better to 25–40 g doses spread across three or four meals than to one large load at the end of the day. If you have black coffee for breakfast and 100 g of protein at dinner, much of it goes to waste.
Why we publish macros
At PROT INN every product has protein, carbohydrates, fat and calories calculated. Not so everyone counts, but so the people who need to don't have to guess. If you're cutting, bulking or eating keto, you should be able to order without doing blind arithmetic.